On this day, 2nd December: MS Dhoni made his Test debut

Mahendra Singh Dhoni would make his Test debut for India on December 2nd, 2005. Who would have known that the young lad from the small town of Ranchi would change the face of Indian cricket forever? Dhoni made his debut against Sri Lanka at the M.A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai in a rain-curtailed contest, scoring 30 runs in the game.

MS Dhoni would end up becoming the most successful wicketkeeper-batsman, as well as the most successful captain statistically, for the Indian cricket team, in their history.

Dhoni would become the captain of the Test team in November 2008 and held that position, until his retirement from Tests in 2014. Dhoni captained India to more Test victories than any other captain- 27.

Despite his game being more suited for the shorter formats of the game, Dhoni was a successful wicketkeeper-batsman in Test cricket, scoring 4876 runs at an average of over 38 in 90 Test matches. He would score six centuries in his Test career.

Despite all his successes, Dhoni was still criticized by the media and various experts for India’s performances overseas under his tenure as the captain of the team. His personal batting record away from the subcontinent also came under intense media scrutiny. The manner in which he retired from the Test arena in the middle of a tough away tour in Australia also drew him a lot of flak.

Despite all this, the imprints left by MS Dhoni on India’s cricketing history shall remain forever.